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K&i -
INCORPORATING THE ROYAL GAZETTE (Established 1828) and THE BERMUDA COLONIST (Established 1866)
VOL. 19—NO. 272
HAMILTON, BERMUDA, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1939
3d PER COPY—40/- PER ANNUM
NAZE' LATEST WAR W.EAPON
8 SHIPS SUNK BY MINEFIELD LAID
SECRETLY OFF BRITISH COAST
Five Vessels Neutral; British Loss Is But 4,000-
Tons Out of 24,000-Tons Destroyed
ACTION SEEN AS OUTDOING IN BRUTALITY EVEN
UNRESTRICTED U-BOAT CAMPAIGN OF ENEMY
British Observers Point Out Germans Have Acted In
Contravention Of All International Laws
LONDON, Nov. 20 (Reuters).—Eight steamers have been sunk over the week-end
by German mines in a new development of the war which threatens to outdo in brutality
the U-boat campaign, so far waged with diminishing success. For weeks the Nazis have
vaguely hinted that they were withholding a surprise weapon, and the indiscriminate
laying of mines in British and neutral shipping lanes, in an effort to drive all shipping
away from British ports, seems to be the answer.
The two latest victims of Nazi mines, announced today, are
small British steamers of which one, a trawler, has been lost with
all her crew of 16.
A new casualty list issued by the owners of the Dutch liner
Simon Bolivar, the first victim of the mines off England's East
Coast, tonight placed the number of deaths at 86.
Survivors are being cared for in the newspaper, "these events have
London, and in one hospital alone
no less than six nationalities are
represented.
Germany, it is now clear, has
launched an indiscriminate attack
by mining neutral shipping routes,
and commentators here were careful to point out that, whereas the
U-boat can distinguish between a
neutral vessel and a belligerent ship,
mines cannot. In fact, of the weekend losses of about 24,000-tons, British tonnage lost constituted only
about 4,000-tons. All the ships,
moreover, were merchantmen.
MINESWEEPERS ORDERED
In view of this new development of
the war at sea, orders for the construction of minesweepers in Canadian shipyards are being hurriedly
completed. Some of the minesweepers are destined for duty in Canadian waters: others will go to Britain.
This morning's newspapers in Germany informed the German public
that British mines caused three disasters, but here in London it is
pointed out that there were no
British mines anywhere near the
spot where the Simon BoUvar sank,
and that this country has nothing
whatever to gain by mining shipping
routes of her own and neutral
ships.
No British mines have been laid
without notification to both British
and neutral ships; the German
mines were laid without warning
and in contravention of all international rules of warfare.
A quantity of mines was washed
ashore on the Belgian coast this
morning, at least a dozen being
counted. One of them exploded and
broke the windows in a hospital
three miles away. Drifting mines
were sighted to the North of Jutland this morning and a warning
has been issued by the Danish Ministry of Marine.
BRITISH SAFETY DEVICE
In connection with these mines, it
is pointed out in authoritative circles that British mines are fitted
with a safety device which renders
them useless once they break away
from their mooring. Many German
mines are not so fitted, contrary to
international law.
A Copenhagen newspaper, in a
leading article this morning on the
loss of the Simon Bolivar, says it is
not a matter of drifting mines but
of mines which have been secretly
laid.
"Although we have only the British account to go on," commented
happened on British trade routes
where it would be suicidal for Britain to establish minefields."
Other Northern countries' press
comment is similar, and an Oslo
newspaper writes that neutral countries should take early steps to
clarify the shipping problem.
A director of the Royal Dutch
Steamship Company, the owners of
the Simon BoUvar, described the
sinking of that ship as the biggest
loss his company had ever suffered.
In HoUand, while comment is still
guarded, the press notes that Holland has lost as many lives in this
war as have been lost on the Western front. Tributes are paid to the
British rescue work and to the efforts to care for the survivors.
SHIPS DIVERTED
As a sequel to this indiscriminate
mining of the North Sea, the crack
Netherlands motorship Orange, of
almost 20,000-tons and said to be
the world's fastest motorship, is to
be laid up temporarily in the Dutch
East Indies. She was put into service three months ago. Three other
Dutch vessels landed passengers at
Lisbon today because of increasing
danger in the North Sea.
Twelve survivors of a Norwegian
tanker sunk by a torpedo last week
have been landed in England. Seventeen of the crew got away from the
stricken ship in a small open boat.
They were adrift for 55 hours before
a British airplane sighted them and
sent a ship to their rescue.
The boat, the survivors stated, cap-
sised twice, and all the food in it
was lost the first time. For the rest
of the time the crew subsisted on a
few drops of water. On the third
day the boat capsised again, and
four men were drowned.
The survivors, too weak to right
the boat, were clinging to its upturned sides when they were sighted by the 'plane. WhUe they were
being taken aboard the rescue ship,
one of the men died.
WORST WEEK-END TOLL
LONDON, Nov. 20 (CP)—The loss
of the British trawler Wigmore in
the North Sea with her crew* of 16
was announced today. This brought
the war's worst week-end toll of shipping to eight ships sunk and more
than 150 Uves lost. It became clear
that mines, at least temporarily,
have supplanted ■ submarines as
the leading sea menace.
The sinking of the 345-ton Wig-
more followed closely the loss of the
Continued on Page 8
WAR MINISTER IS BACK
FROM WESTERN FRONT
Anglo-French Union Absolutely Complete, He Says
LONDON, Nov. 20 (Reuters)—The
Minister for War, Mr. LesUe Hore-
BeUsha, returned to London today
after a visit to the Western Front and
Paris, where he conferred with General Gamelin and other French miUtary leaders.
In Paris today, Mr. Hore-Belisha
gave a luncheon party which was attended by M. Daladier, the French
Premier, Sir Ronald Campbell, the
new British Ambassador to France,
Continued on Page 4
o
THEY SAY
That the fire brigade had
they wanted last week.
ill the work
That as a rule bush fires only occur
in the summer.
* * *
That now they happen when storm
debris is being cleared.
* * *
That one fire.took place on the property of an M.C.P.
* * *
That it is said that true to tradition
he objected.
* * *
That the Junior Service League are
to begin their seasonal activities.
* * *
That they begin with a' 'CeUar Party".
#' * *
That they will rise togreaterheights.
* * *
That even the most ardent radio
fan is getting bored by hearing
the same war story day after day.
* * *
That he forgets that at present it is
mair.ly an ecomonic war.
* * *
That that never was good for headlines or sensational announcements. * * *
That the House has got to get through
work quicker or there wiU be a
jam before the end of the year.
That the passage of the budget
certain but the talk on it isn't.
is
That the entertainment tax was to
be expected but it produces more
irritation than cash.
TWO MORE BRITISH SHIPS
SUNK BY U-BOATS
LONDON, Nov. 20 (Reuters)—
Another British steamer, the
ArUngton Court, of London,
has been sunk off the Irish
Coast Twenty-two of her crew
were picked up by a Dutch vessel, but by the time they were
rescued the chief engineer had
died.
Eleven other members of the
crew are missing. The lifeboat
they were in became separated
from its companion, and could
not be sighted by the rescue
ship.
Survivors of the British
steamer Pensilver, which was
sunk on Sunday morning, were
aU landed safely in England
today. They were picked up by
a British warship which heard
their SOS.
Some of the men said they
spent more than an hour in
the lifeboats before the ship
was sunk. They were ordered
away in the lifeboats as soon
as the submarine's per scope
was sighted, and for more than
an hour they waited, but nothing happened.
The captain had just decided
to go back to the ship when a
torpedo was launched by the
TJ-boat and the Pensilver gradually began to sink.
LONE RAIDERS DRIVEN
FROM BRITAIN'S COAST
Destroyer Attacked, But
Not Hit, In The North Sea
LONDON, Nov. 20 (Reuters) Antiaircraft guns went into action twice
against Nazi raiders during the day,
and tonight another alarm was given.
The Air Ministry announced that air-
raft batteries along the Thames estuary opened fire this morning on a
German 'plane flying so gigh as to be
hardly visible to the naked eye.
After flying over the Thames estuary, Essex, and Kent, with antiaircraft batteries going into action
whenever it was sighted, the lone
raider was chased out to sea by Royal
Air Force fighters.
The Press Association reports that
what appeared to be another raider
was seen frying at a tremendous
height over the South-East coast.
Bursts of gunfire were the first
warning the coastal towns received
of the raid.
Another raider was reported today
over the South Orkneys. The alarm
lasted 20 minutes and the anti-aircraft guns opened fire. Pursuit
Continued on Page 4
GERMANS APOLOGISE TO
SWISS; NEUTRALITY
BROKEN
Nazi Bomber Downed By
Dutch and Pilot Killed
That perhaps children's tickets
sixpence could be exempted.
of
That a 50% Kraise on such tickets is
more likely to kill the business
than to add to the Treasury.
* * *
That some legal luminary will have
to decide how hotel entertainment
will be taxed.
LONDON, Nov. 20 (Reuters)—The
violation of Swiss neutraUty by German aircraft has resulted in an
apology being made to the Swiss
authorities by the German Minister
at Berne. German airplanes have
also been infringing the neutraUty
of The Netherlands for the past few
days.
Today a German bomber was seen
over Dutch territory, near the German frontier, and a patrol of Dutch
'planes went into action and brought
it down. The pilot was killed.
It was officiaUy announced in Berlin today that the pilot of one of the
German 'planes fired upon by Dutch
aircraft on Saturday was seriously
wounded.
There has, however, been a great
lessening of tension between The
Netherlands and Germany, and the
ordinary periodical leave for The
Netherlands army will be restored tomorrow. The leave was canceUed on
November 10 during the height of the
tension caused by German troop
movements on the frontier.
M.C.P/S CASE ADJOURNED
SINE DIE YESTERDAY
Court Wants to Consider
Submissions By Defence
Another legal "battle" caused the
second adjournment yesterday of
the case in which Mr. W. B. Furbert,
M.C.P., is charged with not truly
answering questions put to him by an
Extra Revenue Officer.
Mr. Donald Smith, for the defendant, argued that the prosecution
had failed to make out a case against
Mr. Furbert. "It is most important
that the prosecution establish their
case," he said.
The Worshipful H. Martin Godet,
Magistrate for the Eastern District,
answered Mr. Smith by saying that
it was true that the prosecution had
not caUed any witnesses from the
agents for the Nieuw Amsterdam to
prove that the defendant was a passenger. But His Worship went on to
say that the evidence of Extra Revenue Officer Rowe SpurUng clearly
showed to him that Mr. Furbert had
been on the dock on October 30 when
the Nieuw Amsterdam arrived, and
that the defendant had baggage
which required an examination. He
continued that the evidence had
shown that the baggage was examined, and that Mr. Furbert had
raised no objections to the examination.
According to the evidence of Mr.
Kempe, (Second Revenue Officer),
His Worship continued, Mr. Furbert
went and paid duty on the things he
had declared.
"I think under the circumstances
that I am entitled to hold that Mr.
Furbert was a passenger," the Magistrate said.
Mr. Smith then wanted to know if
His Worship could inform him under
what section of The Revenue Act
the defendant was required to answer. The Magistrate repUed that
the case was being dealt with under
Section 86. Mr. Smith then said
that he was referring to a particular
provision of the Act which would require the defendant to answer, and
submitted "that the whole thing is
most loose and irregular."
Sergeant MacPherson, who is conducting the prosecution, said that he
was proceeding under Section 86,
whereupon Mr. Smith asked if the
Magistrate would put the Sergeant's
statement down in writing. His
Worship then said that he would go
carefuUy through the Act.
"It comes to this, where is the
authority for the Revenue Officer to
examine passengers' baggage?" said
the magistrate. The case was then
adjourned sine die.
CZECHOSLOVAK UNREST IS ASSEMBLY MAKES SLOW
CONTINUING PROGRESS ON BUDGET
BYE-ELECTION IN PAGET
A bye-election is to take place to
fill the seat in the House of Assembly
left vacant by the resignation of
Captain W. V. Ross Winter, who was
obUged to vacate his seat on his acceptance of a government post.
He will offer himself for appointment in the bye-election, and nominations will be received on Saturday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in
the Paget Sunday School, by Returning Officers the Hon. F. G. GosUng
and J. L. D. Gibson.
In the event of more than one
nomination being received an election will be held in the same place
on Tuesday, November 28, between
11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
DEATH OF CAPTAIN JOHN
COPELAND CRISSON
News has been received of the death
of Captain John C. Crisson, at Grand
Turk, Turks Island, B.W.I., on the
17th instant, after a long illness.
He was the only son of the late Honourable John Croits Crisson and
Elodie Jane Crisson. He is survived
by his widow, three sons, Herbert,
Jack and Frank Crisson, and one
daughter, Mrs. Fred Anfossi, residing
at Bermuda, and one son, Charles H.
Crisson, Manager of All America
Cables, at San Juan, Porto Rico.
Hitler Is To Get Personal
Report From Protector
LONDON, Nov. 20 (Reuters)—Despite many executions and thousands
of arrests in Czechoslovak a, the
Germans have not yet restored order
there. It was reported tonight that
Baron von Neurath, the German
Protector of Bohemia-Moravia, has
been summoned to BerUn to make a
report to Hitler. It is also said that
officials of high rank in the Black
Guard have been ordered to Prague,
the former Czech capital, to quiet
the disturbances.
Men of the S.S., or Black Guard,
are already patrolling the streets of
Prague and other cities with submachine guns, and Czechoslovak!
quarters in London have learned that
the Gestapo (secret poUce) forcibly
entered the national monument of
Uberation in Prague and indulged
in an orgy of destruction which included the piercing of portraits of the
late President Masaryk with daggers.
The national monument contains
valuable reUcs and documents of the
Czech liberation movement in the
last war.
The German steel magnate who
financed the Nazi Party in its early
days, Herr Thielsen, has revealed
why he had been obUged to seek refuge in Switzerland. As a member
of the Reichstag, he said, he had expressed himself against war and
against the present poUcy of the German Government.
"This poUtical attitude threatened
to cause consequences which forced
me to leave Germany," he added.
Another former supporter of the
Nazi regime, Dr. Otto Strasse, gave
an interview to a Paris newspaper in
which he described the conditions
necessary for revolution in Germany:
(1) the Germans who still beUeve
in Hitler must feel the horrors of war;
(2) the Reich must suffer its first
miUtary check; and (3) the privation
in Germany must become even more
severe.
Dr. Strasse thinks these conditions
wUl be fulfilled by next Spring. He
fled from Germany some time ago to
form an anti-Hitler movement.
Some idea of the conditions in the
German-occupied part of Poland can
be obtained from two announcements made in Berlin today. The
first gives an order, issued by the
Governor of Warsaw, which says that
Jews are to be isolated from the rest
of the population. The Governor has
ordered the Jewish districts to be
barricaded and kept under strict
control.
The other announcement says that
the Death's Head BattaUon of Nazi
Black Guards has arrived at Cracow,
the ancient capital of Poland, "to
start its duties." The activities of
the battalion are too weU known to
need recapitulation; it is the branch
of the Gestapo usuaUy employed to
suppress anti-Nazi activities and organise Jew-baiting.
It was announced in Moscow today
that an agreement has been reached
between Germany and Russia under
which Russians in the German-occupied section of Poland will be transferred to the Russian-occupied part,
and Germans in the Russian-occupied section wiU be moved to German-
occupied territory.
BERLIN, Nov. 20 (CP)—Prince
August Wilhelm, fourth son of the
former Kaiser, who is now a Nazi
Storm -Troop leader, told foreign correspondents that the HohenzoUems
are solidly behind Germany in the
present struggle.
"My entire house is absolutely
against aU efforts to injure Germany,
and whatever is against the Fuehrer
is against Germany," he said.
LONDON, Nov. 20 (OP)—It is reported that the Nazis used artillery
in street fighting in Prague last week
to quell disorderly crowds who rioted
after the summary execution of 18
University students.
In Prague the crash of sheUs was
heard drowning out the rattle of
machine gun fire. The Germans
used Ught field pieces to shift the
rebels from some of the capital's
narrow streets and the working class
quarters.
The demonstrations were set off
by a magnificent but crazy clash
Continued on Page 4
Justice and Agricultural
Expenditures Completed
Slow progress was made in the
House of Assembly yesterday afternoon in the consideration of the estimates of revenue and expenditure
for 1940. At the end of the three and
a half hour session, the House was
only able to get through the Administration of Justice's expenditures and
the Department of Agriculture. Mr.
Cox, chairman of the Finance Committee gave notice that he would
move that the House meet tomorrow
afternoon and evening in an effort
to speed up Bermuda's 1940 budget.
The House read a second time the
New York Communication Bill No. 2,
to give eifect to the memorandum
which they recently agreed to with
respect to putting the President
Roosevelt on the New York-Bermuda
run. Second reading was also given
to the bill to amend the Medical
Registration Act, 1905.
Speeches occupying almost two
hours kUled a lot of time before the
House went into committee to consider the estimates. Mr. Toddings
wanted to know whether the Finance
Committee might not have budgeted
for three or six months instead of the
whole year.
Mr. Toddings put forward the idea
that a divorce court in Bermuda
might stimulate the tourist trade.
He felt the revenue derived from it
would be greater than that from
any tax on radios.
Mr. Misick again brought up the
question of what the Department
and Board of Agriculture were doing
in the Colony and stated that he had
information to tbe effect the Board
had only met three or four times
during 1939. To conserve our natural s
resources, Mr. Misick said, required
an intensive and big scale home production .
Sir Stanley Spurling repUed that
he had not summoned the Board of
Agriculture because they laid down
a poUcy ar.d gave the Department
orders how to proceed and there was
nothing for the Board to really deal
with. He again praised the work of
the Labour Service Corps, in which
he was backed up by Mr. Frith, who
stated the work on the tank at the
hospital was progressing very very
satisfactory.
Mr. G. A. WilUams wanted to know
whether church entertainments
would be excluded from the imposition of the amusement tax.
Mr. Bluck brought up the point of
the Bermuda Fire Insurance Company being affected by the incorporation tax proposed and that outside companies would escape it. He
felt it was a matter which the Finance Committee might carefully
study.
Mr. N. H. P. Vesey brought up the
question of reduction in salaries arid
said if members were dealing with
their own personal businesses they
would have tackled the question in a
different manner. He suggested a
sliding scale with reductions in some
instances up to 33',. Mr. Vesey
wanted to know whether the Electric Light Company were going to
give lower rates to the Colony, also
the Telephone Company.
' 'With regard to increased taxation,
it is true that the Finance Committee made a recommendation that
wUl be of great assistance, but if we
are going to continue to be responsible for our own affairs here we have
got to handle our finances in such a
way that they will be above reproach
elsewhere," said Mr. Vesey. He said
if death duties were not imposed
higher import duties would have to
be faced. "There is no question
about that," Mr. Vesey said.
Mr. Cox said that the £30,000 for
relief was merely guess work. They
had no idea what the demands on
the vote would be, he said. He
would take under advisement the
question of exemption of churches
from the entertainment tax. With
regard to the tax on insurance companies, Mr. Cox felt it was a vital
point but should not be considered
in connection with tax problems and
should be tackled in another manner.
The Telephone Company had al-
Continued on Page 5
LIGHTING-UP TIME
5.47

K&i -
INCORPORATING THE ROYAL GAZETTE (Established 1828) and THE BERMUDA COLONIST (Established 1866)
VOL. 19—NO. 272
HAMILTON, BERMUDA, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1939
3d PER COPY—40/- PER ANNUM
NAZE' LATEST WAR W.EAPON
8 SHIPS SUNK BY MINEFIELD LAID
SECRETLY OFF BRITISH COAST
Five Vessels Neutral; British Loss Is But 4,000-
Tons Out of 24,000-Tons Destroyed
ACTION SEEN AS OUTDOING IN BRUTALITY EVEN
UNRESTRICTED U-BOAT CAMPAIGN OF ENEMY
British Observers Point Out Germans Have Acted In
Contravention Of All International Laws
LONDON, Nov. 20 (Reuters).—Eight steamers have been sunk over the week-end
by German mines in a new development of the war which threatens to outdo in brutality
the U-boat campaign, so far waged with diminishing success. For weeks the Nazis have
vaguely hinted that they were withholding a surprise weapon, and the indiscriminate
laying of mines in British and neutral shipping lanes, in an effort to drive all shipping
away from British ports, seems to be the answer.
The two latest victims of Nazi mines, announced today, are
small British steamers of which one, a trawler, has been lost with
all her crew of 16.
A new casualty list issued by the owners of the Dutch liner
Simon Bolivar, the first victim of the mines off England's East
Coast, tonight placed the number of deaths at 86.
Survivors are being cared for in the newspaper, "these events have
London, and in one hospital alone
no less than six nationalities are
represented.
Germany, it is now clear, has
launched an indiscriminate attack
by mining neutral shipping routes,
and commentators here were careful to point out that, whereas the
U-boat can distinguish between a
neutral vessel and a belligerent ship,
mines cannot. In fact, of the weekend losses of about 24,000-tons, British tonnage lost constituted only
about 4,000-tons. All the ships,
moreover, were merchantmen.
MINESWEEPERS ORDERED
In view of this new development of
the war at sea, orders for the construction of minesweepers in Canadian shipyards are being hurriedly
completed. Some of the minesweepers are destined for duty in Canadian waters: others will go to Britain.
This morning's newspapers in Germany informed the German public
that British mines caused three disasters, but here in London it is
pointed out that there were no
British mines anywhere near the
spot where the Simon BoUvar sank,
and that this country has nothing
whatever to gain by mining shipping
routes of her own and neutral
ships.
No British mines have been laid
without notification to both British
and neutral ships; the German
mines were laid without warning
and in contravention of all international rules of warfare.
A quantity of mines was washed
ashore on the Belgian coast this
morning, at least a dozen being
counted. One of them exploded and
broke the windows in a hospital
three miles away. Drifting mines
were sighted to the North of Jutland this morning and a warning
has been issued by the Danish Ministry of Marine.
BRITISH SAFETY DEVICE
In connection with these mines, it
is pointed out in authoritative circles that British mines are fitted
with a safety device which renders
them useless once they break away
from their mooring. Many German
mines are not so fitted, contrary to
international law.
A Copenhagen newspaper, in a
leading article this morning on the
loss of the Simon Bolivar, says it is
not a matter of drifting mines but
of mines which have been secretly
laid.
"Although we have only the British account to go on," commented
happened on British trade routes
where it would be suicidal for Britain to establish minefields."
Other Northern countries' press
comment is similar, and an Oslo
newspaper writes that neutral countries should take early steps to
clarify the shipping problem.
A director of the Royal Dutch
Steamship Company, the owners of
the Simon BoUvar, described the
sinking of that ship as the biggest
loss his company had ever suffered.
In HoUand, while comment is still
guarded, the press notes that Holland has lost as many lives in this
war as have been lost on the Western front. Tributes are paid to the
British rescue work and to the efforts to care for the survivors.
SHIPS DIVERTED
As a sequel to this indiscriminate
mining of the North Sea, the crack
Netherlands motorship Orange, of
almost 20,000-tons and said to be
the world's fastest motorship, is to
be laid up temporarily in the Dutch
East Indies. She was put into service three months ago. Three other
Dutch vessels landed passengers at
Lisbon today because of increasing
danger in the North Sea.
Twelve survivors of a Norwegian
tanker sunk by a torpedo last week
have been landed in England. Seventeen of the crew got away from the
stricken ship in a small open boat.
They were adrift for 55 hours before
a British airplane sighted them and
sent a ship to their rescue.
The boat, the survivors stated, cap-
sised twice, and all the food in it
was lost the first time. For the rest
of the time the crew subsisted on a
few drops of water. On the third
day the boat capsised again, and
four men were drowned.
The survivors, too weak to right
the boat, were clinging to its upturned sides when they were sighted by the 'plane. WhUe they were
being taken aboard the rescue ship,
one of the men died.
WORST WEEK-END TOLL
LONDON, Nov. 20 (CP)—The loss
of the British trawler Wigmore in
the North Sea with her crew* of 16
was announced today. This brought
the war's worst week-end toll of shipping to eight ships sunk and more
than 150 Uves lost. It became clear
that mines, at least temporarily,
have supplanted ■ submarines as
the leading sea menace.
The sinking of the 345-ton Wig-
more followed closely the loss of the
Continued on Page 8
WAR MINISTER IS BACK
FROM WESTERN FRONT
Anglo-French Union Absolutely Complete, He Says
LONDON, Nov. 20 (Reuters)—The
Minister for War, Mr. LesUe Hore-
BeUsha, returned to London today
after a visit to the Western Front and
Paris, where he conferred with General Gamelin and other French miUtary leaders.
In Paris today, Mr. Hore-Belisha
gave a luncheon party which was attended by M. Daladier, the French
Premier, Sir Ronald Campbell, the
new British Ambassador to France,
Continued on Page 4
o
THEY SAY
That the fire brigade had
they wanted last week.
ill the work
That as a rule bush fires only occur
in the summer.
* * *
That now they happen when storm
debris is being cleared.
* * *
That one fire.took place on the property of an M.C.P.
* * *
That it is said that true to tradition
he objected.
* * *
That the Junior Service League are
to begin their seasonal activities.
* * *
That they begin with a' 'CeUar Party".
#' * *
That they will rise togreaterheights.
* * *
That even the most ardent radio
fan is getting bored by hearing
the same war story day after day.
* * *
That he forgets that at present it is
mair.ly an ecomonic war.
* * *
That that never was good for headlines or sensational announcements. * * *
That the House has got to get through
work quicker or there wiU be a
jam before the end of the year.
That the passage of the budget
certain but the talk on it isn't.
is
That the entertainment tax was to
be expected but it produces more
irritation than cash.
TWO MORE BRITISH SHIPS
SUNK BY U-BOATS
LONDON, Nov. 20 (Reuters)—
Another British steamer, the
ArUngton Court, of London,
has been sunk off the Irish
Coast Twenty-two of her crew
were picked up by a Dutch vessel, but by the time they were
rescued the chief engineer had
died.
Eleven other members of the
crew are missing. The lifeboat
they were in became separated
from its companion, and could
not be sighted by the rescue
ship.
Survivors of the British
steamer Pensilver, which was
sunk on Sunday morning, were
aU landed safely in England
today. They were picked up by
a British warship which heard
their SOS.
Some of the men said they
spent more than an hour in
the lifeboats before the ship
was sunk. They were ordered
away in the lifeboats as soon
as the submarine's per scope
was sighted, and for more than
an hour they waited, but nothing happened.
The captain had just decided
to go back to the ship when a
torpedo was launched by the
TJ-boat and the Pensilver gradually began to sink.
LONE RAIDERS DRIVEN
FROM BRITAIN'S COAST
Destroyer Attacked, But
Not Hit, In The North Sea
LONDON, Nov. 20 (Reuters) Antiaircraft guns went into action twice
against Nazi raiders during the day,
and tonight another alarm was given.
The Air Ministry announced that air-
raft batteries along the Thames estuary opened fire this morning on a
German 'plane flying so gigh as to be
hardly visible to the naked eye.
After flying over the Thames estuary, Essex, and Kent, with antiaircraft batteries going into action
whenever it was sighted, the lone
raider was chased out to sea by Royal
Air Force fighters.
The Press Association reports that
what appeared to be another raider
was seen frying at a tremendous
height over the South-East coast.
Bursts of gunfire were the first
warning the coastal towns received
of the raid.
Another raider was reported today
over the South Orkneys. The alarm
lasted 20 minutes and the anti-aircraft guns opened fire. Pursuit
Continued on Page 4
GERMANS APOLOGISE TO
SWISS; NEUTRALITY
BROKEN
Nazi Bomber Downed By
Dutch and Pilot Killed
That perhaps children's tickets
sixpence could be exempted.
of
That a 50% Kraise on such tickets is
more likely to kill the business
than to add to the Treasury.
* * *
That some legal luminary will have
to decide how hotel entertainment
will be taxed.
LONDON, Nov. 20 (Reuters)—The
violation of Swiss neutraUty by German aircraft has resulted in an
apology being made to the Swiss
authorities by the German Minister
at Berne. German airplanes have
also been infringing the neutraUty
of The Netherlands for the past few
days.
Today a German bomber was seen
over Dutch territory, near the German frontier, and a patrol of Dutch
'planes went into action and brought
it down. The pilot was killed.
It was officiaUy announced in Berlin today that the pilot of one of the
German 'planes fired upon by Dutch
aircraft on Saturday was seriously
wounded.
There has, however, been a great
lessening of tension between The
Netherlands and Germany, and the
ordinary periodical leave for The
Netherlands army will be restored tomorrow. The leave was canceUed on
November 10 during the height of the
tension caused by German troop
movements on the frontier.
M.C.P/S CASE ADJOURNED
SINE DIE YESTERDAY
Court Wants to Consider
Submissions By Defence
Another legal "battle" caused the
second adjournment yesterday of
the case in which Mr. W. B. Furbert,
M.C.P., is charged with not truly
answering questions put to him by an
Extra Revenue Officer.
Mr. Donald Smith, for the defendant, argued that the prosecution
had failed to make out a case against
Mr. Furbert. "It is most important
that the prosecution establish their
case," he said.
The Worshipful H. Martin Godet,
Magistrate for the Eastern District,
answered Mr. Smith by saying that
it was true that the prosecution had
not caUed any witnesses from the
agents for the Nieuw Amsterdam to
prove that the defendant was a passenger. But His Worship went on to
say that the evidence of Extra Revenue Officer Rowe SpurUng clearly
showed to him that Mr. Furbert had
been on the dock on October 30 when
the Nieuw Amsterdam arrived, and
that the defendant had baggage
which required an examination. He
continued that the evidence had
shown that the baggage was examined, and that Mr. Furbert had
raised no objections to the examination.
According to the evidence of Mr.
Kempe, (Second Revenue Officer),
His Worship continued, Mr. Furbert
went and paid duty on the things he
had declared.
"I think under the circumstances
that I am entitled to hold that Mr.
Furbert was a passenger," the Magistrate said.
Mr. Smith then wanted to know if
His Worship could inform him under
what section of The Revenue Act
the defendant was required to answer. The Magistrate repUed that
the case was being dealt with under
Section 86. Mr. Smith then said
that he was referring to a particular
provision of the Act which would require the defendant to answer, and
submitted "that the whole thing is
most loose and irregular."
Sergeant MacPherson, who is conducting the prosecution, said that he
was proceeding under Section 86,
whereupon Mr. Smith asked if the
Magistrate would put the Sergeant's
statement down in writing. His
Worship then said that he would go
carefuUy through the Act.
"It comes to this, where is the
authority for the Revenue Officer to
examine passengers' baggage?" said
the magistrate. The case was then
adjourned sine die.
CZECHOSLOVAK UNREST IS ASSEMBLY MAKES SLOW
CONTINUING PROGRESS ON BUDGET
BYE-ELECTION IN PAGET
A bye-election is to take place to
fill the seat in the House of Assembly
left vacant by the resignation of
Captain W. V. Ross Winter, who was
obUged to vacate his seat on his acceptance of a government post.
He will offer himself for appointment in the bye-election, and nominations will be received on Saturday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in
the Paget Sunday School, by Returning Officers the Hon. F. G. GosUng
and J. L. D. Gibson.
In the event of more than one
nomination being received an election will be held in the same place
on Tuesday, November 28, between
11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
DEATH OF CAPTAIN JOHN
COPELAND CRISSON
News has been received of the death
of Captain John C. Crisson, at Grand
Turk, Turks Island, B.W.I., on the
17th instant, after a long illness.
He was the only son of the late Honourable John Croits Crisson and
Elodie Jane Crisson. He is survived
by his widow, three sons, Herbert,
Jack and Frank Crisson, and one
daughter, Mrs. Fred Anfossi, residing
at Bermuda, and one son, Charles H.
Crisson, Manager of All America
Cables, at San Juan, Porto Rico.
Hitler Is To Get Personal
Report From Protector
LONDON, Nov. 20 (Reuters)—Despite many executions and thousands
of arrests in Czechoslovak a, the
Germans have not yet restored order
there. It was reported tonight that
Baron von Neurath, the German
Protector of Bohemia-Moravia, has
been summoned to BerUn to make a
report to Hitler. It is also said that
officials of high rank in the Black
Guard have been ordered to Prague,
the former Czech capital, to quiet
the disturbances.
Men of the S.S., or Black Guard,
are already patrolling the streets of
Prague and other cities with submachine guns, and Czechoslovak!
quarters in London have learned that
the Gestapo (secret poUce) forcibly
entered the national monument of
Uberation in Prague and indulged
in an orgy of destruction which included the piercing of portraits of the
late President Masaryk with daggers.
The national monument contains
valuable reUcs and documents of the
Czech liberation movement in the
last war.
The German steel magnate who
financed the Nazi Party in its early
days, Herr Thielsen, has revealed
why he had been obUged to seek refuge in Switzerland. As a member
of the Reichstag, he said, he had expressed himself against war and
against the present poUcy of the German Government.
"This poUtical attitude threatened
to cause consequences which forced
me to leave Germany," he added.
Another former supporter of the
Nazi regime, Dr. Otto Strasse, gave
an interview to a Paris newspaper in
which he described the conditions
necessary for revolution in Germany:
(1) the Germans who still beUeve
in Hitler must feel the horrors of war;
(2) the Reich must suffer its first
miUtary check; and (3) the privation
in Germany must become even more
severe.
Dr. Strasse thinks these conditions
wUl be fulfilled by next Spring. He
fled from Germany some time ago to
form an anti-Hitler movement.
Some idea of the conditions in the
German-occupied part of Poland can
be obtained from two announcements made in Berlin today. The
first gives an order, issued by the
Governor of Warsaw, which says that
Jews are to be isolated from the rest
of the population. The Governor has
ordered the Jewish districts to be
barricaded and kept under strict
control.
The other announcement says that
the Death's Head BattaUon of Nazi
Black Guards has arrived at Cracow,
the ancient capital of Poland, "to
start its duties." The activities of
the battalion are too weU known to
need recapitulation; it is the branch
of the Gestapo usuaUy employed to
suppress anti-Nazi activities and organise Jew-baiting.
It was announced in Moscow today
that an agreement has been reached
between Germany and Russia under
which Russians in the German-occupied section of Poland will be transferred to the Russian-occupied part,
and Germans in the Russian-occupied section wiU be moved to German-
occupied territory.
BERLIN, Nov. 20 (CP)—Prince
August Wilhelm, fourth son of the
former Kaiser, who is now a Nazi
Storm -Troop leader, told foreign correspondents that the HohenzoUems
are solidly behind Germany in the
present struggle.
"My entire house is absolutely
against aU efforts to injure Germany,
and whatever is against the Fuehrer
is against Germany," he said.
LONDON, Nov. 20 (OP)—It is reported that the Nazis used artillery
in street fighting in Prague last week
to quell disorderly crowds who rioted
after the summary execution of 18
University students.
In Prague the crash of sheUs was
heard drowning out the rattle of
machine gun fire. The Germans
used Ught field pieces to shift the
rebels from some of the capital's
narrow streets and the working class
quarters.
The demonstrations were set off
by a magnificent but crazy clash
Continued on Page 4
Justice and Agricultural
Expenditures Completed
Slow progress was made in the
House of Assembly yesterday afternoon in the consideration of the estimates of revenue and expenditure
for 1940. At the end of the three and
a half hour session, the House was
only able to get through the Administration of Justice's expenditures and
the Department of Agriculture. Mr.
Cox, chairman of the Finance Committee gave notice that he would
move that the House meet tomorrow
afternoon and evening in an effort
to speed up Bermuda's 1940 budget.
The House read a second time the
New York Communication Bill No. 2,
to give eifect to the memorandum
which they recently agreed to with
respect to putting the President
Roosevelt on the New York-Bermuda
run. Second reading was also given
to the bill to amend the Medical
Registration Act, 1905.
Speeches occupying almost two
hours kUled a lot of time before the
House went into committee to consider the estimates. Mr. Toddings
wanted to know whether the Finance
Committee might not have budgeted
for three or six months instead of the
whole year.
Mr. Toddings put forward the idea
that a divorce court in Bermuda
might stimulate the tourist trade.
He felt the revenue derived from it
would be greater than that from
any tax on radios.
Mr. Misick again brought up the
question of what the Department
and Board of Agriculture were doing
in the Colony and stated that he had
information to tbe effect the Board
had only met three or four times
during 1939. To conserve our natural s
resources, Mr. Misick said, required
an intensive and big scale home production .
Sir Stanley Spurling repUed that
he had not summoned the Board of
Agriculture because they laid down
a poUcy ar.d gave the Department
orders how to proceed and there was
nothing for the Board to really deal
with. He again praised the work of
the Labour Service Corps, in which
he was backed up by Mr. Frith, who
stated the work on the tank at the
hospital was progressing very very
satisfactory.
Mr. G. A. WilUams wanted to know
whether church entertainments
would be excluded from the imposition of the amusement tax.
Mr. Bluck brought up the point of
the Bermuda Fire Insurance Company being affected by the incorporation tax proposed and that outside companies would escape it. He
felt it was a matter which the Finance Committee might carefully
study.
Mr. N. H. P. Vesey brought up the
question of reduction in salaries arid
said if members were dealing with
their own personal businesses they
would have tackled the question in a
different manner. He suggested a
sliding scale with reductions in some
instances up to 33',. Mr. Vesey
wanted to know whether the Electric Light Company were going to
give lower rates to the Colony, also
the Telephone Company.
' 'With regard to increased taxation,
it is true that the Finance Committee made a recommendation that
wUl be of great assistance, but if we
are going to continue to be responsible for our own affairs here we have
got to handle our finances in such a
way that they will be above reproach
elsewhere," said Mr. Vesey. He said
if death duties were not imposed
higher import duties would have to
be faced. "There is no question
about that," Mr. Vesey said.
Mr. Cox said that the £30,000 for
relief was merely guess work. They
had no idea what the demands on
the vote would be, he said. He
would take under advisement the
question of exemption of churches
from the entertainment tax. With
regard to the tax on insurance companies, Mr. Cox felt it was a vital
point but should not be considered
in connection with tax problems and
should be tackled in another manner.
The Telephone Company had al-
Continued on Page 5
LIGHTING-UP TIME
5.47